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Hockey this week: TMU’s rise, OUA players strike gold and silver in Italy
TORONTO (via Ben Steiner) - For some OUA hockey teams, being without key players or head coaches for an extended period would be a problem.
But for most of the squads across Ontario, there wasn’t an issue with absences, as teams continued to rise up the standings despite missing some of their most important contributors.
From international celebrations, heartbreak, and Michigan goals, here’s what’s up in OUA men’s and women’s hockey.
TMU did just fine despite absences
The TMU Bold started the year off slowly, but have been in strong form to start the second half. Even with top-line forward Connor Bowie, starting netminder Kai Edmonds, and head coach Johnny Duco away with Team Canada at the FISU World University Games, the Bold won all four of their January contests and sit atop the OUA West.
While the program had slight growing pains in moving on from key pieces of their Queen’s Cup Final and U CUP run, the best year in program history, they’ve been able to pick up where they left off and look like a contender again.
Although Duco and the key players returning will help boost the team, they’ve done fine without them.
Goaltender Ryan Dugas boasts a .924 save percentage in eight games this season, and Russia’s Daniil Grigorev has popped off for 19 points. The 20-year-old second-year forward even enjoyed a spell of nine games wherein he scored 10 points.
Rookie Jordan D’intino has also been a welcome addition to the team and ranks third in team assists with 13, only behind veteran Kevin Gursoy and Jaden Condotta. He stepped up in last weekend’s game with two helpers in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues. TMU also captured the second edition of the Carriage Cup against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.
Coming off a rivalry win against Toronto on home ice, riding a five-game win streak, and soon adding Duco back to the bench, along with Bowie and Edmonds to the lineup, TMU’s strength will only continue to develop as they approach the postseason.
The Bold are off this weekend, but will take on the York Lions to close out January, with their local rivals having surrendered the second-most goals in the OUA this season with 83.
Carleton’s comebacks – and the Michigan
The TMU Bold might be in good form, but they’ve done everything possible to replace Kyle Bollers’ impact on the top forward line after the standout winger turned pro after the 2023 U CUP.
That doesn’t mean the OUA is without a guy who can score a nifty Michigan goal; however. Enter Giovanni Morneau.
Trailing 4-3 in the third period for the second time in as many weeks, Morneau pulled off a classic Michigan goal to tie the game against the Nipissing Lakers before Alex Johnson and Felix Bedard went on to win the game 6-4 in regulation.
That’s two years and two Michigan goals in the OUA. Last year from Bollers for TMU in a losing effort against Brock, and now this past weekend as Morneau sparked Carleton’s comeback.
Having rallied off a previous comeback against the Ottawa Gee-Gees just a week prior, the Ravens have a unique energy entering January’s final weekend. However, they’re on the edge of the playoff bar and will need convincing games against the Guelph Gryphons and Brock Badgers this weekend to hop over the UQTR Patriotes and into the final Queen’s Cup Playoff spot.
Can Chantelle Sandquist top her best in her final season?
Few players play as long in U SPORTS as Nipissing Lakers goaltender Chantelle Sandquist has. Since 2019, the Red Deer, Alta. native has been one of the OUA’s top netminders, and this year, she might just be on track for her best year ever.
With a 13-0-3 record in 16 games this season, Sandquist has a .958 save percentage, the top mark in the OUA and among the best ranks nationwide. While her previous season best hit .944 in her rookie season of 2019-20, she’s hit a new vein of form this season.
Under head coach Darren Turcotte, the Lakers have also developed into perennial contenders with Sandquist between the pipes. While they’ve yet to win the McCaw Cup, the Lakers have reached the final two of the last three seasons, falling to the Toronto Varsity Blues on both occasions.
This year, though, with Sandquist chasing her best save percentage mark ever and a team already nine points up on second place in the OUA East, they might just be the favourites. It’s up to Sandquist, Team Canada returnee Malory Dominico, and the rest of the Lakers program to help their legendary goaltender to a McCaw Cup title to end her OUA career.
Canada wins silver, gold at FISU Games
OUA hockey was without several top players over the last few weeks, but the 12 men and six women are returning to Ontario ice with a couple of international medals. Team Canada’s men’s team captured their first-ever back-to-back gold medals at the FISU World University Games in Torino, Italy, while the women secured silver.
With a coaching staff featuring RMC’s Richard Lim, Queen’s Brett Gibson, and TMU’s Johnny Duco, the men's team pushed past Slovakia 3-1 in a hard-fought gold medal game after dominating the USA 10-2 in the semifinal. Queen’s forward and Canada captain Jack Duff scored the empty net goal.
For TMU netminder Kai Edmonds, who made 24 saves in the final, it’s a second gold medal after he backstopped Canada to the title at Lake Placid 2023.
On the women’s side, it was heartbreak in gold medal overtime. Despite outshooting and out-chancing the Czech Republic, Canada fell 2-1, with Waterloo’s Leah Herrfort and Toronto’s Scout Watkins-Southward earning their second international medals.
With the Games behind them, the student-athletes and coaches return to their varsity programs, joining for a stretch run to the OUA Queen’s Cup and McCaw Cup Playoffs.